George hunger



G. vMUNC'rE-R.

(No Model.)

SCHOOL DESK.

Patented May 8 '15] Q71! 2/? 1 N. PETER$ fhob-Lifhognahw. Washingmn, u c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE MUNGER, OF EAST RIVER, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO BAKER, PRATT 8t00., OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 277,326, dated May 8,1883.

Application filed January 11, 1883. (No model.)

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that'l, GEORGEMUNGER, of EastRiver, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, haveinvented anew Improvement in School-Desks; and I do hereby declare thefollowing, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and theletters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of thisspecification, and represent, in-

Figure 1 an end View 5 Fig. 2, a vertical section of the joint enlarged;Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6, detached views of the joint enlarged.

This invention relates to an improvement in that class of school-desksin which the standards are usually made from cast-iron, and in which theseat is hinged at the back, so as to be turned up against the back tomake room between the desk and back for the entrance and exit of thepupil, the principal object of the invention being to produce sufficientfriction at the joint to retain the seat in any position to which it maybe placed, up or down, and so that it cannot fall of its ownweight,thereby avoiding the noise of and disturbance from the fall which wouldotherwise occur; and the invention consists in the peculiar constructionof the joint, whereby a spring-pressure is brought to bear between thestationary and movable parts of thejoint, as more fully hereinafterdescribed; and the invention further consists in the method hereinafterdescribed of attaching the slats to the frame and seat-bars.

A represents the end frame or standard of the seat, which may be of anyof the usual or u d esirahle form s, fitted to receive the desk-top B 0is the seat arm or bearer, which, with the frame, is made fromcast-iron.

The stationary part A is constructed with a socket, a, to receive theseat arm or bearer. This socket is cup-shaped, as seen in Fig. 5, endview, and Fig. 6, section on line y 3 At two points within it lugs 11 bare cast upon opposite sides. The arm C is constructed with a similarcup, D, to set on over the socket a, as seen in Fig. 2, with acup-shaped flange, (1, within it, as seen in Figs. 3 and 4, to enterwithin the socket and between the lugs b l),

SCHOOL-DESK.

and between the internal flange, d, and the outer edge of the cup lugs eare cast in the arm similar to the lugs b bin the standard. Vithin theinternal flange, (l, aspiral or, other suitable torsion spring, f, isplaced. Concentrically through the socket and bearing of the arm a bolt,71, is passed, its head bearing upon a col lar, i, on one side, and thenut on a similar collar, on, on the opposite side, as seen in Fig. 2.The spring f, when at liberty, is considerably longer than the depth ofthe space within the joint in which it is placed, and so that whensecured together, as seen in Fig. 2, the spring is considerablycompressed. The lugs c in the arm play between the lugs b b in thesocket. Hence the arm may be turned in either directionsay down, whichwill bring the lugs to a hearing, as seen in broken lines, Fig. 5, andwhich is the sitting position for the seat; or it may be turned up andthe lugs come to a bearin g in nearly the vertical position of the seat,as seen in Fig. 1. The flange d bears upon the inner surface of the lugsb, and the cup also bears upon the outside of the socket, which forms astrong pivotal bearing for the scat, independent of the bolt. Thespring: bears axially outward at one end on the stationary part and atthe other on the movable part,while outsidethecollarsbear,respectively,on those parts. Hence in turning the arm the outward forceof the springcreates friction between the collars and the two parts sufficient toretain the seat in any position and prevent its falling or comingsuddenly or with force upon its downward bearing, and this friction mayat any time be adjusted to be greater or less by simply turning the nutonthe bolt h, to increase or reduce the power of the spring. Thesurfacebearing of the collars being so great, very little pressure willbe required to produce the desired result, much lessthan if the bearin gwere made simply upon the spring without theintervention of the collars.In some cases say in larger or heavier seatsI make a still furtherresistance to the fall of the seat by providinga lug on the two parts ofthe jointone, s, on the one part .to engage one end of the spring, theother, t, on the other part to engage the other end of the spring justbefore the seat shall have reached its extreme down- ICC ward position.Then in completingthe descent of the seat, the spring will actas atorsionspring to resist but yet permit the complete descent of the seat.In that case the friction may be very much reduced,even so much that theseat might fall by force of gravity as it approaches its downwardposition, yet this fall would be arrested and its force relieved by thetorsional action of the spring. Y

I claim- 1. In a school-desk frame, the combination of the standard A,constructed with a cupshaped socket, a, the arm 0, with a cup-shapedflange, D, to cover said socket, and with a cupshaped flange, (1, withinand concentric with the said flange D, and between which and the saidflange D the socket enters, the two parts constructed with lugs tosupport the said arm when down, and the springf, arranged within thecup-shaped flanged, and so that its one end bears against the standardand the other against the arm and in line with the axis of the socket,with a bolt concentrically through the socket to secure the two partstogether against the pressure of the spring, substantially as described.

2. In a school-desk frame, the combination of the standard constructedwith a cup-shaped socket, the arm with a cup-shaped flange to cover saidsocket, and with an internal flange to enter said socket, the two partsconstructed with lugs to support the seat-arm, a torsionspring arrangedwithin said socket to bear outward against the two parts in an axialline, and a bolt through the said two parts and spring, the two partsconstructed each with a lug upon which the respective ends of the springwill bear as the seat descends, substantially as described.

3. In a school-desk frame, the-combination of the standard constructedwith acup-shaped socket, and the arm with a cup-shaped flange to coversaid socket, and with an internal flange to enter said socket, the saidtwo parts of the socket constructed to engage the'respective ends of thespring, and whereby the descent or fall of the seat will impart to saidspring a torsional effect to resist such fall or descent of the seat,substantially asdescribed.

GEO. MUNGER.

XVitnesses:

JOHN E. EARLE, Jos. O. EARLE.

